The first 1,000 were available in the first four months, and by the time Leopard rolled around, Apple boasted that more than 3,000 widgets were available for download.
The list of default widgets has changed over the years, but this is what a clean install of macOS Sierra includes.Īfter Dashboard launched in 2005, Apple published a huge library of third-party widgets. (The latter’s a great way to tell the newest from the oldest widgets.) And if you find a widget you’re no longer using, you can also use it to delete widgets. The easiest way to enable and disable widgets, the Widgets Widget also lets you sort your widgets by name or by date. The Widgets Widget simplifies Widget installation, providing you with clear notification when a new widget is being installed. Tiger came with these widgets pre-installed:ġ0.4.2 brought a new first-party widget, named the Widgets Widget: This would require rethinking the Dashboard UI a bit (e.g., providing an active menu bar in the Dashboard layer) but I think the benefits would be well worth it. I’d like to be able to put any application in the Dashboard layer, and I’d like to be able to pull widgets out of it and place them anywhere I want. To a lesser extent, I’m also disappointed that Dashboard widgets can’t be interleaved with regular windows, float on top of all windows, or be embedded in the desktop like Konfabulator 1 widgets can. While I really love the idea of a separate window layer for infrequently used items, I’m extremely disappointed that only Dashboard widgets can live there. Apple has unnecessarily linked two good ideas in Dashboard: the widgets themselves, and the Exposé-style layer where they live. I remember being impressed at the demo, and even more impressed once I had my hands on Tiger, but John Siracusa wanted more: They were present when you needed them, and disappeared when you didn’t. Jobs pitched widgets as mini-apps that let you look up a quick bit of information without ruining your workflow or train of thought. I was insanely jealous of him for about 72 hours after we both installed Tiger in our dorm room.) However, college roommate’s aluminum PowerBook could do it without breaking a sweat. (My Titanium PowerBook’s GPU couldn’t render the water ripple effect that played when a new widget was added to Dashboard.
Adding new ones could be done with a click of the mouse. While not as flashy or important as Tiger’s keystone feature, Spotlight, Dashboard still enjoyed a big push from Jobs on stage.Ī user could tap a keyboard shortcut or visit a hot corner and Dashboard would activate, dimming the screen and flying in widgets. Dashboard disappears just as easily, so you can get back to what you were doing. With a single click, Dashboard appears, complete with widgets that bring you a world of information - real-time weather, stock tickers, flight information and more - instantly.
Introduced with Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, Dashboard was easy enough to explain:ĭashboard is home to widgets: mini-applications that let you perform common tasks and provide you with fast access to information.